1. Field
One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to a method and apparatus for displaying an electronic program guide (EPG) of a recorded transport stream (TS) file, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for displaying an EPG of a recorded TS file, which enables a user to recognize in advance digital broadcasting content (i.e., broadcasting programs) recorded using the EPG of the recorded TS file by accumulatively storing EPG information of the corresponding broadcasting content when recording the respective broadcasting content transmitted from a plurality of broadcasting stations.
2. Description of the Related Art
Presently, as digital broadcasting has been gradually spread in our daily life, user demand for diverse additional services due to the features of digital broadcasting, in addition to TV viewing with no noise and flicker, has been gradually increasing.
A representative feature of such digital broadcasting is to provide EPG information, which simply means a broadcasting program schedule. The range of such EPG information, in accordance with the transmission rate or transmission method of broadcasting stations transmitting the digital broadcasts, may be extended from simple information, such as a program broadcasting time, a program title, and channel, to detailed program information (e.g., the cast, plot, temporal background, and the like, of a drama), and so far as to Internet-connected information acquisition and electronic commerce during the viewing of TV or advertisement.
In one or more embodiments of the present invention, among the above-described additional services, a method of displaying an EPG of a recorded TS file will be described in detail. First of all, a conventional method of recognizing an EPG of a recorded TS file will be described.
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an actual TS file and EPG information provided when a recorded TS file is played according to a conventional method of displaying an EPG of a recorded TS file.
Referring to FIG. 1, it can be recognized that recording was made with several times channel change in the order of →MBC→EBS→SBS→ . . . →KBS. If it is assumed that a time point for each channel change is a time point where broadcasting content is finished, a user could acquire seven or more EPG information files during the viewing of broadcasts for three hours. According to the conventional method, however, seven EPG information files are stored in different storage units. Accordingly, in the case of executing a specified TS playback file, only the EPG information file for the broadcasting content at a currently playing (viewing) time point is available.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a conventional method of displaying an EPG of a recorded TS file.
Referring to FIG. 2, the conventional method of displaying an EPG of a recorded TS file includes a user selecting a channel S201, receiving an actual TS file transmitted from the selected channel, dividing the received actual TS file into a video bitstream, an audio bitstream, a program specific information (PSI) session, and a program and system information protocol (PSIP) session through a demultiplexer S205, generating a TS playback file composed of the separated video bitstream and/or the audio bitstream (not illustrated), generating an EPG information file by extracting EPG information after parsing the separated PSI session and the PSIP session (not illustrated), judging whether the generated EPG information file exists S207, if the EPG information file exists, storing the EPG information file in an EPG information storage unit S209, judging whether to process the generated TS playback file S211, and if the processing of the generated TS playback file is required, processing the TS playback file into video/audio bitstream suitable to be displayed S213 and storing the processed video/audio bitstream as a recorded TS file S215, while if the processing of the generated TS playback file is not required, directly storing the TS playback file as the recorded TS file S215. In S209 to S215, the acquired EPG information file and the recorded TS file are stored in different storage units. Accordingly, when the recorded TS file is played as described above, only the EPG information file corresponding to the currently played broadcasting content among the stored EPG information files is provided to the user as the EPG information.
According to the conventional method of displaying an EPG of a recorded TS file, however, the TS playback file and the EPG information file are separately stored, and thus it is somewhat difficult to maintain and manage the files. Also, if even one EPG information file is lost, the corresponding EPG information cannot be provided using only the TS playback file.
In addition, in the case where a user intends to record an actual TS file that is transmitted from a broadcasting station, only one broadcasting content desired by the user may not be recorded, but undesired broadcasts existing before and after the broadcasting content to be recorded (e.g., an advertisement broadcast and a preview of the next broadcasting content) may be recorded together with the desired broadcasting content. Also, if the user misses the record time, a part of the broadcasting content may be omitted, and through a channel up/down operation during the recording, different channel broadcasts may be recorded. As described above, generally more than one EPG information file is required for one TS playback file. In other words, since only the EPG information of the broadcasting content being currently played is provided during the playback of the TS playback file, it is required to play the TS playback file from beginning to end in order to recognize all the broadcasting content stored in the TS playback file, and this causes great inefficiency.